The Best Birthday Present ever
by ghostwriter123
Summary: Sequel to "The Best Birthday ever". Angela confronts Booth and Bones after receiving the present and demands to here the whole story behind the gift...
1. Thank Yous and a head slap

_**Thank you for the reviews. As requested by some, here's a sequel to "the best birthday ever". Warning: might still be slight OOC**_

**Disclaimer: I own nothing (sad but true)**

**The best birthday present ever**

Chapter 1: "Thank You"s and a head slap

The incessant ringing of the alarm clock by the bed woke Angela Montenegro up. Normally she wasn't a morning person. In fact, she would more than likely murder any fool that tried to wake her up before the sun rose. Today however was different.

_I can't wait to get to the office today, _thought Angela to herself as she stretched her arms and turned off the alarm clock. Angela smiled and opened the windows to let the fledgling beams of the rising sun in. She was in a good mood today, no, great in fact. She just had the best birthday ever, and it was all due to a special gift from her favourite couple (besides her and Jack that is). Angela still couldn't believe that Bones and Booth had gotten married, and in secret no less. She looked over to the dresser where the box with the videotape, photographs and photocopy of the wedding certificate lay.

_Yes, it's still here. It wasn't a dream. But just to make sure..._ Angela gave a sly smirk as she reached over to her husband and gave a slight pinch to make sure this wasn't a dream.

"OW! Enough with the pinching Ange. It's not a dream, OK? Man, it's too early in the morning for this." Jack Hodgens replied, head still half buried in his pillow. Angela responded with a swift knock to his head from her pillow. "Hey, what was that for? I'm up, I'm up." Jack grumbled as he rubbed his now sore and grumpy head.

"THAT was for not telling me that you knew. And this," Angela moved in and gave him a sweet kiss that lasted about 5 seconds. "is for helping keep the surprise." "Mmm," muttered Jack dreamily, "don't I get more?" he asked?

"Not until I get the full story. Come on now, out of bed. We are going to the office. I want to catch those two and get the juicy details."

"Aw, Angie" Jack pleaded. Unfortunately for him, he never quite mastered the puppy dog pout. "OUT!" was the only reply he heard from his wife who was now in the bathroom washing up and preparing for work. _This is going to be a long day_ thought Jack to himself. _I think I'll just take 5 more minutes of sleep to prepare._

An hour later, Jack and Angela reached the Jeffersonian Institute and Angela rushed in so fast you would have thought that there was a 80% of sale at Bloomingdales. Jack merely chuckled as he walked in slowly behind her. He knew full well the storm that was coming and only hoped that Booth and Bones were prepared.

"Where are they" a bedraggled Angela demanded amid pants as she scoured Brennan's office.

"Where are who, Angela?" came the calm reply from Dr Camille Saroyan as she walked up to Angela. "Mr and Mrs Booth. That's who." Angela growled. She turned to see Cam smiling and not the least bit surprised.

"You knew? Who else did? Was I the only one in the whole office who didn't know?" shrieked Angela.

"Calm down girl. I know about it because I'm the boss and they HAVE to keep me in the loop whether they like it or not. They didn't tell anyone else except their immediate family."

"What am I? Chopped liver?" came the curt reply.

"O..k...then, I'll leave you to wait in Dr Brennan, uh I mean Dr Booth's office and I'll just get on with my work." Cam hurried away. She too, knew full well that you never get in Angela's way when she's in that sort of mood.

Meanwhile, just outside the Jeffersonian...

"Bones, are you sure I have to be there? Couldn't you just talk to her alone? I mean, this is more of girl talk you know."

"Not a chance Seeley. You know as well as I do that she will be wanting the story from both of us. Don't tell me you've got cold metatarsals?"

"It's 'cold feet' Bones and no I don't. I'm just a little nervous about facing hurricane Angela that's all. But I won't leave you. Never will. You know that."

"Technically one cannot know the future so I cannot say for certain..."

Temperance never finished her sentence as Booth silenced her with a smoking hot kiss.

"Come on Bones, Angela awaits."

The happy couple walked in to the Jeffersonian and into the office of Dr Temperance Booth. They flipped on the lights and to no one's surprise they saw Angela Montenegro waiting impatiently on the couch, a slightly subdued Jack Hodgens in tow. Angela walked up to the couple and gave them each a congratulatory hug and squeal. She then proceeded to unceremoniously slap Agent Seeley Booth on the head.

"What was that for? You trying to give me another brain tumour Ange?"

"That was for marrying my best friend in secret and NOT inviting me to the party." Angela replied with a satisfied smirk. "Now, both of you, spill. I want all the dirty details." Angela giggled with schoolgirl like anticipation.

"Uh...spill?" Temperance looked at Booth a little bewildered.

"It means that Angela wants us to tell her our story Bones." Seeley Booth whispered into his wife's ear the way only two intimate people can.

"Oh, where should I begin..."

_**Sorry for ending it here. **_

_**I got tests I need to prep for. The next update won't be so soon.**_

_**Sorry if this chapter wasn't so well written. Hope you enjoy it though. **_


	2. Secrets unearthed in Maluka

Chapter 2: Secrets unearthed in Maluka

_Flashback to Maluka, archaeological site._

"Oh Dr Brennan!" an obnoxiously cheery voice echoed throughout the tent sheltering a certain Dr Temperance Brennan from the scorching Maluka sun.

"What is it Miss Wicks?"

"We've found another set of skeletal remains Dr Brennan. Do you want to examine them before we dig them out?"

"No need. I'll leave this one to you. I trust your judgement. I have enough to examine now as it is." To emphasize her point, Dr Brennan motioned with head towards a row of freshly unearthed skeletons waiting to be examined.

"Okey dokey Dr Brennan. You won't be disappointed!"

"Okey whatkey? Miss Wicks? Uh nevermind." Temperance Brennan just shook her head as her eager young associate just skipped out the tent towards the recently discovered skeleton. She looked down at the fleshless face in front of her and wondered pictured Booth doing a "here's looking at you beautiful" remark in his 'Tony' voice. She gave a small laugh and shook her head again.

It had been a month into the archaeological dig in Maluku and the results had been surprisingly fruitful. She had found herself buried in a pile of unearthed remains, waiting for her scrutiny. Oh the irony. Not that she had any problem with it. She had always loved burying herself in her work. A mandible here, a fibula there, an occipital bone here and the odd missing limb there; a weird and gruesome way to pass the day for many but not for her. She always found examining bones exciting as every bone offered a picture of the life the bone's owner must have lived. As an anthropologist, this fascinated her to no end. Yet somehow, amid all of this, something seemed amiss.

She did miss the Jeffersonian but that was to be fully expected. It had become her life after all and the people there her family, including her closest friend, Angela Montenegro. What she couldn't quite lay her finger on was why she kept thinking of Booth. Even as she worked she kept imagining Booth hovering over her as she examined the remains, or cracking one of his nonsensical jokes every now and then. She would remember the cases they worked on and the little incidents in between. She just couldn't deny it. She missed Booth.

Maybe it was totally justifiable. After all, he was her partner for over 2 years now and they had grown quite close. He was part of her 'family' so it was perfectly normal for her to miss him. But then again, why did she miss him so much more than anyone else? She had only thought of Angela, her best friend, once on the trip and yet everyday she couldn't stop thinking about Booth.

Of course, right at this moment, the voice of her said best friend came echoing into her head _You're in love with Booth, sweetie. That's why you miss him so much more than anyone else._

_No. That can't be right._ Temperance Brennan thought to herself._ I can't be in love with him. And anyway, love is just a feeling caused by mixed hormones and... why am I even arguing with a voice in my head that doesn't exist. Ugh._ Temperance Brennan let out a frustrated growl just as her perky associate returned.

"I'm done examining the bones as best I can until they completely unearth them Dr Brennan. Meanwhile...are you ok? Can I get you some aspirin?"

"No Miss Wick. I'm fine. I just have a lot on my mind, that's all."

"Oh, well I'm not Lance but I've learnt quite a bit from him. Maybe we can have a little girl talk and help you sort your thoughts out?"

At that suggestion, Temperance Brennan responded with a quirked eyebrow. She never trusted psychology and as far as she was concerned, talking to the psychologist's girlfriend is as good as talking to him and that's not something she wanted to do. And yet, without Angela around, Daisy was the only girl she felt remotely comfortable talking to. Maybe...

"Ok Miss Wicks, but no psychology nonsense. I'm sure Dr Sweets has told you of my disdain for his chosen field of interest, no disrespect to him of course."

"No probs Dr B. So what's up?"

Temperance Brennan couldn't shake the feeling that this was a mistake and yet here she was telling Daisy Wicks about her memories and how they had been distracting her. When she was done, she took a large breath as Daisy spoke up.

"You know, not that I'm an expert or anything, but it sounds to me like Lance might be right. You may have feelings for Agent Booth. I'm not talking about platonic feelings. I'm talking about something more than that. What you are feeling now is exactly how I feel about Lance each day here. I keep thinking about him more than anyone else even as I work. I can even picture him chuckling at me every now and then. "

"But you're dating Dr Sweets. I'm not dating Booth."

"Technically you kind of are. From what I have heard from the others at the Jeffersonian, you're always spending time with Agent Booth, letting him drive you home, confiding in him, sharing your most intimate secrets with him. You sometimes go out for a meal or drinks together, have pet names for each other, know each other's favourite things. That's exactly what couples do when they date. The only difference is that you two won't openly admit it."

Temperance Brennan was stunned. She tried to formulate a rational response befitting the comment she just received but she couldn't. She had never thought of what she and Booth always did as dating. Yet they actually did do all the things dating couples do except officially declare themselves a couple. They shared the intimate moments and knew more about each other than anyone else. Even Angela didn't know as much about her as Booth.

"Maybe you should talk to Agent Booth and discuss this with him Dr Brennan?"

"Maybe you're right. Maybe I should do that. Then we can sort this out and I can be at peace. Let's see the time difference should be 4 hours so Booth should just be waking up now. I'll call him."

Temperance Brennan dialled Seeley Booth's number urgently and waited for him to pick up. At a time like this, she was really grateful for international GPS.

"Hello?"

"Booth is that you? This is Temperance. We need to talk."

"Slow down there miss. I'm sorry to inform you that Sergeant Booth is unable to come to the phone right now. He's currently recuperating in a local hospital after a slight mishap. I' sorry but I can't divulge anymore information."

"What? But I'm his partner. Tell me more. I'm well respected in the medical and forensics field. I can help. Please."

"Sorry I can't. Miss?"

Temperance Brennan closed her phone, took a deep breath and turned to Daisy with a look of fear. "Miss Wicks, take over. I'm going to Afghanistan."

_**What happened to Booth? Will Temperance ever see him again?**_

_**Find out next chapter.**_


	3. Am I dreaming?

Chapter 3: Is this a dream?

"Booth, Booth?" the voice called out as Seeley Joseph Booth woke up from his 'slumber'.

"Ow. My head hurts," Booth moaned as he rubbed his head and opened his eyes to search for the source of the familiar voice. "Bones, is that you?"

"Yes Booth it's me, Temperance."

"I'm not having one of those dreams again am I? I am not actually in a coma or anything?"

"No you aren't. You have no cranial injuries. You were however shot from behind but the bullet missed your pulmonary and cardiovascular systems and got lodged between your 3rd and 4th ribs."

"Oh, is that all?" Booth replied sarcastically.

Temperance smiled then recalled something Booth had just said. "Did you say that you dream about me?"

_Crap. Way to put your foot in your mouth Seeley. _Booth tried to avoid disaster with the best method he knew, distraction. "Aren't you supposed to be Malibuku or something? And where's Jaord? He's my emergency contact. Shouldn't he be the one sitting by my bedside waiting to see if I kick the bucket?"

"Kick the what? How can you kick a bucket when you're stuck in a hospital bed? Anyway, it's Maluku and I tried to call you but one of the soldiers picked up and told me you had been taken to hospital and I rushed here. Jarod and Padme are outside. He decided to give us a moment. He's not too pleased about being called out of his trip to India."

"Well ok then." Booth replied, a little pleased that his plan had worked.

"You still haven't answered my question."

_Oh well, back to the old drawing board. _Booth tried to come up with a rational explanation that Temperance would buy but the hospital meds weren't helping his cause. _That's it._

"Uhm, must be the meds Bones. I don't know what I'm saying." He lied meekly.

"You're only on saline and glucose solutions currently. They wouldn't cause any hallucinations or inhibit brain function," Temperance replied in an even tone.

"Ok, you got me. See, I remembered that the last time I was in a coma I had a dream about you, well, us." Booth paused to see if she was satisfied but knew from Bone's expression that she was waiting for him to continue. "We, were, well, married and running a nightclub called the Jeffersonian and all the squints including Sweets were our employees. "

"Oh"

"Look Bones, I know you don't like marriage and think that it is an archaic tradition and all but you can't fault a guy for what he dreams. I can't control that ok? Especially not if I'm in a coma."

"I wasn't angry. In fact, I think your dream makes perfect sense."

"Ok. What? Who are you and what have you done with Bones? I mean Temperance?"

"I am Temperance. And if you'd let me finish, I was going to say that you dreaming of us being married makes perfect sense in the light of what I have discussed with Miss Wicks."

"You talked to Daisy? I thought you couldn't stand her? And how does my dream make sense?"

"I was discussing my nostalgia of our times together with Miss Wicks and she implied that there may be something more than just platonic relations between us. I, of course refuted the claim, but she so helpfully pointed out that all the things you and I do are exactly what dating couples do except that we don't declare ourselves to be dating. With that evidence confronting me, I wanted to talk to you to see if you could explain anything but your dream makes it perfectly clear you see things the same way Miss Wicks does. You feel as though we have been dating and logically the next step, according to your beliefs would be marriage."

Booth took a moment to process everything. Ok, more like 5 minutes. Booth then looked at Temperance straight in the eye. "Are you mad? You told Daisy about our 'us time?' Sweets is going to have a field day with that information. "

"That doesn't matter right now Booth."

"What does?"

"Figuring out how we feel about each other."

"What else is there to figure out? You said it yourself. To me all the times we've spent together are like dates. It's as though we have been dating and you were my girlfriend. Sorry, I know you hate possessiveness. And yes, the next logical step, if you really were my girlfriend would be marriage but I know how you feel about that and more importantly I don't know how YOU feel about us so I'm just happy getting to spend time with you ok?"

"How I feel? I guess I would like to take the next step too."

"Well alright then. WHAT?"

"As much as I think marriage is an archaic tradition, we technically have been dating and it si only logical to take the next step. Besides, rationally speaking, being legally married will have its advantages. This way, you can put me as your emergency contact and next-of-kin and I can do likewise for you. That way we'll always know if something happens to each other."

The only response Booth could utter in reply was "Someone pinch me, I must be dreaming." Booth then dutifully fainted.

_**Wonder how they'll sort things out? Tune in next chapter.**_


	4. Promises, proposals and plans

_**Note: Sorry for not updating for so long. An unusual combination of writer's block and exam fever made it a little difficult to update this story. Rest assured though, I will complete the stories that I start.**_

_**Btw, characters might be a tad OOC**_

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

Chapter 4: Promises, Proposals and Plans.

For the second time that day, Booth woke up with his head hurting. _I never realized that getting shot in the chest could hurt your head so much, _Booth groaned to himself as he opened his eyes to come face to face with a smiling Jarod.

"Bro? Is that you? Thank God. I guess that whole thing about Bones proposing the idea of marriage to me was just a bad dream. And what are you trying to say..."

Jarod said nothing but continued to signal with his eyes for Booth to look to his left. Booth did and found himself looking at a none too pleased Temperance Brennan.

"Bones! I didn't see you there. How are you?" _How many times am I going to put my foot in it today?_ Booth tried to flash his disarming smile, hoping it would get him out of the pit he just dug for himself.

"Don't call me Bones."

_Shit. That's never a good sign. _Booth thought to himself as he braced for more.

"What was that about a bad dream? I come halfway around the world, show concern for you, propose that we both take the biggest step of our lives, even if I have to sacrifice some of my beliefs, and you call that a bad dream? Answer me, Seeley Joseph Booth."

_Oh boy. She never calls me by my full name. I am really screwed now._ Booth stared into the waiting eyes of Temperance Brennan while Jarod gave a low whistle.

"Hey bro, you two look like you need some alone time. I'll just go and get a refill on my coffee, or at least, I think this stuff is coffee." Before Booth could say 'don't go' Jarod was out the door and down the corridor. Temperance just stood arms akimbo, staring daggers at Booth.

"Look Bones, you wanted a heart to heart? Fine. Let me finish my explanation and then you can unleash your kung-fu wrath on me, just go gentle on the injured guy."

"Heart to heart? That makes no sense. The heart is a muscle, incapable of communication. And you know perfectly well I don't pick on the weak." Brennan answered in her typical brisk tone.

_Ouch. Way to boost a guy's ego there, Bones._

"Look Bones, I meant what I said earlier, not about the bad dream part. I do kind of like to think of you as my girlfriend, and yes I know you hate the possessive connotations of that. I do care about you, more than just as a friend. In fact, I would love to marry you. It's just, the way you went about presenting the idea wasn't how I envisioned it."

"What? If you wanted to marry me, then what's the problem? Don't tell me this is down to your Alpha Male tendencies to want to be in control and be the one doing the proposing?"

"No, no. That's not it at all. Look, you know my religious background right? Well, as a catholic I take marriage very seriously. I wouldn't propose to anyone unless I was really willing to share the rest of my life with that person. I don't just make such promises to anyone you know."

"Promises?"

"You know, the marriage vows? For better or worse, for richer or poorer, blah blah blah? That's exactly what they are to me, promises. Promises to love your spouse for the rest of your life, even to the point of death. Maybe you can live with a rational explanation being the basis for your marriage but not me. Having you just propose the idea because its 'rational' is a nightmare for me. I know you hate emotions but I need to know that you feel as strongly about this commitment as I do if I am going to enter marriage with you."

"Booth, I never knew you felt so strongly about marriage. You must have really loved Rebecca when you proposed to her."

"I did. It crushed me when she said no. It wasn't just because of Parker. It was because I realized she didn't care about me the same way. Since then, I have been so afraid of getting crushed like that again."

"I won't do that to you, Seeley. I could never hurt you, at least not on purpose. While I don't like to speculate about the future, I am fairly certain about the present situation, and that is that even though I don't believe in trusting emotions, if I were to trust them, IF mind you, then I believe they would tell me to do the same thing that logic indicates we should do."

"And what's that Bones?"

"Take the next step."

"Do you really mean that Bones?"

"While it is impossible to be 100% certain..."

"Bones..."

"I am 99.99% certain that I mean that."

"Well then..." Booth took Bones' hand in his before continuing, "Temperance Joy Brennan, would you do me the honour of marrying me and giving me the privilege of being your husband?"

"You and your Alpha Male Tendencies, Booth. But yes, I believe I have already given my consent to marrying with you."

Booth cracked his famous smile again and this time got Temperance to elicit a large smile of her own, complete with that signature, low throaty laugh of hers that he found so irresistibly cute.

"Booth, where are we going to get married? Here?"

"Hell no. I am not going to get married in the middle of nowhere. I am going to claim 5 days of medical leave and we are going to use that time to fly back to the good old US of A and get married in a quaint little church in Richmond, Virginia."

"Virginia, why Virginia? We live in Washington DC."

"We may live in Washington DC Bones, but Max happens to be living in Richmond right now and I know you want your father to be present at your wedding."

"Booth..."

"Besides, it just so happens I got a letter from Rebecca the day I got shot. She mentioned that she was bringing Parker to stay with 'Grandpa Max' for a couple of weeks while she went on vacation with her boyfriend in Las Vegas. I figure this way, you get Max, I get Parker and we kill two birds with one stone. "

"While would I want to kill birds? But apart from that, I think your logic is rationally sound and I agree with the plan."

"Great. By the way, did I mention that Russ will probably be there too?"

"What? How?"

"I also got an email from one of my friends back in Washington. Russ made probation and I put in a good word for him so he was allowed to leave the state. As far as I heard, Max got him a job in Richmond so Russ and his family are also staying with Max for the time being."

"Booth, thank you."

"Don't thank me. Your brother earned his probation. Speaking of brothers, I just need to drag my deadbeat one back to the US with us and we are all set for a quick wedding."

"What about Angela?"

"Oh. Look Bones, I know that she is your best friend and you would love to have her there at our wedding but I don't think that's possible."

"But it is. Aeronautical technology has come a long way. She could fly back within a day and be in time for the ceremony."

"That's not the point. You know how she would be. She would insist on doing things the right way – finding the perfect dress, setting up the bachelor and bachelorette parties, etc. we just don't have time for that. More importantly, Hodges is currently taking her on a round the world honeymoon, remember? I don't know about you but I don't feel that it's right to interrupt a couple on their honeymoon."

Temperance gave no reply.

"Bones, cheer up. I promise you that after the wedding we will make it up to Angela somehow."

Temperance just replied with a look that said 'You'd better or else.' Booth and Bones continued with their happy planning until Jarod came back into the room.

"Hey bro, what'd I miss? You guys look like you've settled your differences. Glad to see you laughing and not at each others' throats. I don't quite feel like attending a funeral right now."

"Ha ha. Very funny Jarod. Grab Padme and your bags. We're flying off to Richmond ASAP."

"Why?"

"Cause," Booth paused so that Bones could complete the sentence.

"We're getting married."

_**To be continued.**_

_**Next time around I hope to put in the wedding ceremony, explanations on Padme's absence from the wedding photos, Angela's reaction and a little surprise right at the end...**_

_**It will take some time though and I don't think I can update again until after next Monday. Until then, I hope you have enjoyed this chapter.**_


	5. The wedding and the surprise

_**Note: Sorry for the delay in updating. Exam fever is still on. It always seem to bring on an epidemic of writer's block :P**_

_**Now on with the story (warning: a little OOC)**_

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

Chapter 5: The Wedding and the Surprise 

_Present day_

"That was so romantic." Angela interrupted the story with one her patented squeals. "Although," she paused and changed her tone to one with a slightly dangerous edge. "I still can't believe you didn't tell me sooner! How could you leave me out of your wedding?"

_Man she changes tones faster than I can blink. For once I am glad Bones is ruled by logic._ Seeley Booth rolled his eyes at the outburst and glanced quickly at Hodges who could only shrug his shoulders.

"Ange, I really am sorry. But Booth was right. We didn't have the time to let you do all those things I know you wanted to do. Besides, you were on your honeymoon and we didn't want to disturb you."

Angela didn't quite buy the explanation. She was about to let loose another tirade when Booth stepped in to save the day.

"Hey Angela, before you go ballistic again, why don't we tell you about the wedding? I'm sure you want to know all about it." To further help calm the situation, Booth flashed his trademark smile.

Angela crossed her arms, sat down and pouted. "Fine but I want ALL the dirty details."

Bones looked over to Booth for assurance before beginning. He responded by nodding his head and giving her hand a tight squeeze.

"When we got to Richmond, dad was extremely elated to see us. He wasn't the least bit surprised at the news. Apparently, he too had seen the evidence long before we did and felt it only logical that this would happen eventually."

"Parker was his usual jolly self when he saw me." Booth continued on from his wife let off. "Then, when I told him the news he was practically bouncing off the walls." Booth let out a laugh that was shared by all except Bones.

"Booth, you know that it is physically impossible for Parker to bounce off walls without getting hurt. Besides, he was simply jumping up and down and screaming."

"Bones, it's just an expression."

"Oh. I just think it's highly scientifically inaccurate, that's all."

"I know dear." Booth held her hand and gave her a little peck on the cheek.

The little romantic moment was broken up by a cough from Hodges. Bones and Booth turned back to see Angela staring expectantly at them.

"To continue the story, "Temperance said with a slight blush on her cheeks, "Russ was also approving of our marriage."

"The biggest surprise of all though was Rebecca. We didn't even know she'd be there and we saw her and parker told her the news I was really afraid she was going to get mad." Booth added.

"In a rather unusual turn of events, she had had a quarrel with her significant other and left Las Vegas early and returned to get Parker a couple of days earlier. Dad had managed to convince Rebecca to stay for a few days and calm down." Temperance continued.

"So by that little coincidence, Rebecca happened to be at the house as well. Thankfully, she was more than OK with the wedding. Seems she knew something we didn't." Booth smiled at Bones as a signal for her to continue.

"Rebecca helped me get a beautiful wedding gown from the local dress shop, even though I was quite against it at the time." Bones punctuated the statement with a cheeky glare at Booth.

"And I'm thankful she persuaded you to wear it because you looked absolutely stunning in it Bones." Booth flashed his cocky smile and got a slight jab to the ribs by Bones as his reward.

"Ouch. Hey, it wasn't that long ago that I got shot in the chest. I'm still healing here." Booth mock groaned and drew a laugh from Bones and everyone else in the room.

"Anyways, Dad phoned one his friends who set everything up for us and within a day we were in the local church saying our wedding vows. I, of course, didn't see the need for the whole ceremony but seeing as marriage is traditionally about a compromise between a man and a woman, I thought it only rational to compromise on this little issue for Booth's sake."

"Of course, she made me compromise by letting her drive the wedding car." Booth joked.

_Flashback to the church_

"Seeley Joseph Booth, do you take this lovely woman to be your lawfully wedded wife? To have and to hold, to love and to cherish, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?" the pastor asked .

"I do."

"Temperance Joy Brennan, do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold, to love and to cherish, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?" the pastor turned to Bones and asked.

"Booth, I don't see the need for this. I have already consented to the marriage and promised to be your partner for life."

"Bones, please just go along with this?" Booth pleaded in an agitated whisper.

"Ok. Ok. I do."

The pastor rolled his eyes and gave a knowing smile. He signalled for Booth to put the ring on Temperance's hand and then say his vow.

"Temperance Joy Brennan, from the day I met you, I knew that you and I had something special. I knew you were the one for me. You have shown me that heart must go hand-in-hand with head and ironically, that's exactly how you and I go together. Together we better than the sum of our parts and I could never imagine my life without you. I love you Temperance, and I promise to keep it that way for the rest of my life. I know you have been hurt many times in the past and never want to see you hurt again. I promise to love you and to protect you for as long as I live."

The pastor wiped tears from his eyes before signalling for Bones to put the ring on Booth's hand and say her vows.

"Seeley Joseph Booth, I used to think you were an arrogant, self-centered jerk. But then you showed me things I never knew. You made me realize that I didn't know everything and that I was alone. You have been my closest friend, apart from Angela, and been there for some of the most important moments of my life. I want you to be there for the rest of those moments, should there be anymore left. Though I don't believe in love, I can only conclude that if I did, then I would most certainly be in love with you."

The pastor beamed and concluded the ceremony. "Then, by the power invested in me by the state of Virginia, I now pronounce you husband and wife."

The wedding march played as Booth and Bones marched out of the wedding hall hand in hand, smiling fit to kill.

_Back to present day_

"That was so sweet. I forgive you guys." Angela cooed. "Just one thing, why are Padme and Russ's wife in any of the pictures?"

"Funny thing that," Booth laughed. "Turns out the Virginia climate didn't quite agree with her. She had the mother of all bad hair days and would freak out the moment a camera was pointed anywhere near her. She eventually took over the role of camera woman so that we couldn't take any photos of her."

"My sister-in-law thought it only logical that she should have some female support in that decision to not have her picture taken so she refused to be in any photos either. My nephew and niece however were only too happy to take their place." Temperance smiled.

"Padme did get a nice consolation though," Booth chuckled. "She caught the bouquet."

"I still don't quite understand that dumb tradition. Catching a bouquet does not statistically improve your chances of getting married." Temperance turned to look at her husband with a raised eyebrow.

"Tell that to Mr and Mrs Jarod Booth." Seeley laughed.

"No way! They got married too?" Angela and Hodges asked at the same time.

"Yup! My bro just sent me a postcard last week. Seems they opted for a simple wedding in India. Can't say I blame him" Booth explained.

"So whose idea was it to give me the certificate and wedding pictures as my birthday gift?" Angela asked as she tapped her shoes on the carpet.

"I remembered your birthday was coming up and Booth figured that given your personality and incessant wishing of us together, it was only logical to give you this present" Bones replied as she hugged her husband.

"Aw. Thank you guys. I love my birthday present. It's the best birthday present ever. Oh, and congratulations!"

"Thanks Angela but you know, there is one more part to your present."

"What?"

"Booth figured that it would be more fun to give you the present in two parts. The first as the main present, and the second as a surprise for when you would inevitably confront us."

"So what is the second part?" Angela stood up expectantly.

"Bones, why don't you give it to her?" Booth asked with a laugh.

Temperance went over to her desk and pulled out a small brown envelope which she handed over to Angela.

Angela opened the envelope carefully, took one look at it and fainted.

Inside, was an ultrasound picture dated last week, belonging to one Temperance Joy Booth.

**The End**

_**I hope you guys liked it. Sorry it took so long.**_

_**Now if only those two could get together for real...**_


End file.
